Rev.  Dr.  DONALD  SAGE  MACKAY’S 
SERMON  AT  THE  SEVENTY-SIXTH  ANNIVERSARY 


AMERICAN  SEAMEN’S  FRIEND  SOCIETY. 


ANNUAL  SERMON 


BEFOHE  THE 


ntmnm  mm\m  s 


AT  ITS 

SEVENTY-SIXTH  ANNIVERSARY, 
Sunday,  May  8,  1904, 


BY  THE 


Rev.  DONALD  SAGE  MACKAY,  D D. 


IN  THE 


COLLEGIATE  CHURCH. 


AMERICAN  SEAMEN’S  FRIEND  SOCIETY, 

76  WALL  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 

1904. 


SERMON. 


Thy  way  is  in  the  sea,  and  Thy  path  in  the  great  waters. — Psalm  lxxvii:  19. 

There  is  no  more  thrilling  chapter  in  human  history  than  that 
which  recounts  man’s  achievements  on  the  sea.  We  often  speak  in- 
deed of  the  perils  of  the  sea,  the  sorrows  it  has  created,  the  homes  it 
has  desolated,  the  brave  lives  and  the  goodly  ships  which  its  storms 
have  destroyed,  and  the  record  is  sad  enough.  But  it  is  just  possible 
we  may  overdo  this  side  of  the  picture.  The  sea  is  not  always  storm- 
crested  and  the  sailor’s  life  is  not  always  one  of  hardship.  The  ocean 
is  not  man’s  unceasing  antagonist,  and  it  is  well  surely  once  in  a while 
to  remember  how  much  man  owes  to  the  sea,  what  a mighty  factor  it 
has  been  in  the  civilization  of  the  world  and  what  an  influence  it  has 
exerted  in  bringing  together  the  scattered  nations  of  the  earth  and 
developing  the  ungarnered  treasures  of  nature. 

The  sea  is  the  pathway  of  commerce.  Its  romance  has  meant  more 
to  man  than  its  terrors.  Its  riches  have  been  greater  than  its  losses. 
Its  ministry  has  been  helpful  far  more  than  destructive,  and  it  is  but 
a partial  and  onesided  view  which  thinks  only  of  the  perils  of  the  deep 
in  its  moments  of  storm  and  tempest,  without  also  remembering  that 
the  sea  is  the  great  thoroughfare  of  Providence  along  which  the  divine 
purpose  moves.  “Thy  way,”  says  the  Psalmist,  “is  in  the  sea,  and 
Thy  path  in  the  great  waters.” 

Our  subject  this  morning  is  one  which,  perhaps,  is  somewhat  un- 
usual for  an  occasion  like  this,  yet  not,  I hope,  any  less  timely — What 
America  Owes  to  the  Sea.  It  is  our  obligation  to  the  sea  that  should 
stir  up  our  responsibility  towards  those  who  go  down  to  the  sea  in 
ships.  It  is  what,  as  a nation,  we  have  gained  from  the  sea  and  what 
the  sea  means  to  us  as  a world-power  to-day,  that  should  create  in 
every  loyal  American  a practical  sympathy  with  the  great  work  which 
for  over  three-fourths  of  a century  the  American  Seamen’s  Friend 
Society  has  been  doing  with  such  signal  and  manifest  blessing. 


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Look  then  at  one  or  two  items  in  this  obligation  of  America  to  the 
sea.  Girdled  by  the  two  great  oceans  of  the  world  on  the  east  and 
west,  and  by  the  Gulf  on  the  south,  with  a total  coastline  of  over 
twenty-one  thousand  miles,  the  wealth  and  growth  of  this  republic 
will  depend  even  more  in  the  future  than  in  the  past  on  her  prowess 
on  the  sea.  She  must  inevitably  become  a maritime  power,  and  as  the 
Great  Lakes  find  outlets  to  the  sea,  her  commerce  on  the  ocean  will 
become  colossal.  The  American  navy  and  the  American  merchant 
marine,  when  it  comes  to  its  own,  will  be  two  commanding  influences 
in  the  development  of  the  world.  To  forget,  therefore,  or  ignore  our 
obligation  to  and  our  dependence  upon  the  sea,  alike  for  protection 
and  expansion,  would  be  foolish  and  unworthy. 

Think,  for  instance,  in  the  first  place  how  much  we  owe  to  the 
atmospheric  influences  of  the  ocean  for  our  physical  health.  The  vast 
ocean  spaces  are  the  cleansing  places  of  the  world’s  health.  The  stormy 
tempests  are  the  besoms  of  cleansing,  scattering  in  their  fury  the 
miasma  of  stagnant  airs.  Although  the  old  fiction  of  the  influence  of 
the  Gulf  Stream  on  climate  is  a thing  of  the  past,  yet  meteorology,  that 
science  which  is  just  passing  out  of  its  infancy,  is  teaching  us  how 
profoundly,  not  only  the  health  but  the  very  life  of  the  world  is  de- 
pendent on  what  are  known  as  the  great  cyclonic  and  anti-cyclonic 
movements  of  the  Atlantic,  Pacific  and  Indian  Oceans.  Take,  for  in- 
stance, the  mysterious  south-west  monsoons  of  India,  whoso  failure 
means  famine  and  death  to  the  teeming  millions,  and  whose  advent 
brings  hope  and  plenty,  and  what  are  these  monsoon  winds  but  the 
anti-cyclone  of  the  Indian  Ocean  which  sweeping  up  from  the  equator, 
diffuses  itself  over  the  parched  plains  of  India  in  lifo-giving  moisture 
right  up  to  the  very  ramparts  of  the  Himalayas.  A sermon — nay  a vol- 
ume— might  bo  written  on  the  wonderful  provision  of  God  in  these 
atmospheric  currents  on  the  ocean  by  which  the  changing  seasons,  the 
differing  temperature,  the  varied  climate,  and  the  whole  health  and 
life  of  the  world  are  profoundly  influenced.  In  the  words  of  our  text, 
truly  “ His  way  is  in  the  sea,  and  His  path  in  the  great  waters.” 

But  once  more,  our  obligation  to  the  sea  has  a more  intimate  as- 
pect even  than  that.  No  student  of  history  can  be  ignorant  of  the  place 
and  influence  which  the  ocean  has  exerted  in  the  development  of 
American  ideals.  It  was  because  of  the  “ inviolate  sea  ” that  swept 
between  them  and  old-world  despotisms  that  the  Pilgrims  and  Dutch 
and  early  settlors  coming  to  those  shores  were  enabled  to  establish 


5 


themselves  in  faith  and  prayer,  secure  from  the  encroaching  hands  of 
bigotry  and  superstition.  Three  hundred  years  ago,  those  three  thou- 
sand miles  of  ocean,  which  seem  so  little  to-day  to  the  leviathans  of 
commerce,  meant  everything  in  the  Divine  Providence  in  protecting 
the  growth  of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  Just  as  the  sea  in  its  re- 
morseless powor  was  the  instrument  which  God  used  to  destroy  the 
Spanish  armada  in  its  attempt  to  fasten  on  England  the  chains  of 
superstition,  so  for  three  hundred  years  these  waters  that  break  upon 
our  shores  have  been  the  protecting  hands  which  have  sheltered  the 
ideals  of  American  life. 

Xor  can  we  forget  how  in  the  struggle  of  independence  it  was  the 
prowess  of  the  American  navy  upon  the  sea  that  made  possible  her 
victories  on  land.  From  that  hour,  on  December  22, 1775,  when  Esek 
Hopkins  went  out  in  the  first  American  fleet,  carrying  the  flag  of  the 
young  republic,  consisting  of  eight  wooden  vessels,  mounting  in  all 
one  hundred  and  fourteen  guns,  till  this  moment,  the  achievements  of 
the  American  navy,  represented  by  men  of  untarnished  honor  and  un- 
swerving courage,  have  been  a thrilling  and  inspiring  record.  In  no 
superficial  sense  the  sea  has  played  its  part  in  American  history.  Its 
influence  in  the  early  days  as  a means  of  separation,  and  to-day  as  a 
means  of  communication  between  this  land  and  other  lands,  has  been 
supreme.  The  ocean  has  been,  in  truth,  an  instrument  of  Providence 
in  the  growth  of  American  ideals,  so  that  we  can  once  more  echo  the 
words  of  the  Psalmist,  “Thy  way  is  in  the  sea,  and  Thy  path  in  the 
great  waters.” 

But  again,  on  another  occasion  than  this,  much  might  be  said 
on  our  obligation  to  the  sea  as  a commercial  factor  in  American  ex- 
pansion. I do  not  dwell  upon  that  feature  now,  excepting  only  to  re- 
mind you  that  commerce  on  the  sea  becomes  an  invaluable  adjunct  to 
the  spread  of  Christianity.  The  mighty  liners,  which  almost  every 
day  go  from  Xew  York  harbor  laden  with  American  manufacture,  are 
an  impressive  proof  of  how  the  ocean  to-day  is  scattering  the  influ- 
ences of  American  enterprise  and  industry  into  every  market  of  the 
world.  And  where  commerce  goes,  Christianity  is  bound  to  follow. 
So  that  the  commercial  value  of  the  sea  becomes  also  a religious  influ- 
ence, enabling  the  Christian  missionary  to  place  the  Bible  side  by  side 
with  the  flag. 

But  I must  hasten  to  point  out  a more  personal  aspect  of  our 
obligation  to  the  sea.  After  all,  rich  as  the  opportunities  are  which 


6 


the  mighty  sweep  of  ocean  presents,  we  cannot  forget  that  it  is  the 
men  who  toil  on  the  sea  and  who  bring  to  us  its  argosies  of  hope  to 
whom  our  deepest  gratitude  should  be  expressed.  Marvellous  indeed 
are  the  records  of  courage,  of  devotion,  of  self  sacrifice,  and  faithful- 
ness to  death  which  the  long  history  of  the  sea  unfolds.  Poet  and 
painter,  preacher  and  historian  have  found  their  most  moving  themes 
in  the  stirring  deeds  of  bravery  upon  the  sea.  Poor,  indeed,  would  our 
literature  be  were  it  robbed  of  the  deathless  memory  of  those  who  have 
vindicated  the  honor  of  their  flag,  defended  the  independence  of  their 
country,  saved  lives  at  the  peril  and  loss  of  their  own,  and  have  made 
the  achievements  of  man  upon  the  ocean  a worthy  parallel  to  his  no- 
blest deeds  on  land.  All  honor  to  the  heroes  of  the  sea,  the  pioneers 
of  discovery,  the  champions  of  freedom,  the  defenders  of  the  weak, 
the  faithful  unto  death,  who  sleep  beneath  the  everlasting  waves,  and 
over  whose  graves  the  beat  of  the  ocean  chants  its  unceasing  requiem. 

Too  often  indeed  in  our  travels  abroad,  in  the  comfort  and  luxury 
of  the  modern  ocean  liner,  we  forget  what  we  owe  to  these  toilers  on 
the  deep.  We  pray  readily  enough  at  the  outset  of  our  voyage  that 
we  may  be  brought  in  safety  to  our  desired  haven ; not  often  do  we  re- 
member to  record  our  gratitude  in  some  tangible  form  when  the  voy- 
age is  over  to  those  whose  faithfulness  upon  the  sea  has  helped  to 
answer  our  prayers. 

So  this  morning  we  assemble  here  in  this  house  of  God  to  record  our 
practical  interest  in  an  organization  which  for  over  seventy-five  years, 
in  a devoted  but  altogether  unobtrusive  way,  has  sought  to  realize 
something  of  that  obligation  which  Christian  America  feels  toward 
her  seamen.  The  American  Seamen’s  Friend  Society  is  repre- 
sented in  thirty-four  foreign  and  domestic  seaports.  In  these  different 
ports  it  gives  substantial  aid  to  chaplains,  missionaries  and  Bible- 
readers  who  visit  the  different  ships  in  harbor,  conduct  religious  ser- 
vices and  generally  provide  for  the  material  as  well  as  the  spiritual 
needs  of  the  seamen.  In  these  ports,  Bethels  or  seamen’s  chapels  exist, 
where  the  sailor  may  find  at  least  some  of  the  comforts  of  home  and 
feel  around  him  the  influences  of  Christian  friendship.  A more 
blessed,  patriotic  as  well  as  Christian,  work  I cannot  imagine.  While 
I absolutely  dissent  from  the  conventional  idea  current  in  most  pulpit 
utterances  on  the  subject  that  the  great  majority  of  sailors  are  a 
drunken,  dissolute,  easily  tempted  class  of  men,  on  a par  with  the 
Bowery  tough — that  view  I thoroughly  deny — nevertheless  the  forces 


7 


of  temptation  which  the  seaman  has  to  meet  in  the  seaport  are  simply 
terrific.  Moreover  these  temptations  are  aggravated  a hundred-fold 
by  the  lack  of  that  loving,  hospitable  homo-life  which  a Christian  in- 
stitution properly  equipped  could  provide  in  every  large  seaport  in  the 
world. 

Before  this  congregation  I need  not  speak  of  the  magnificent  work 
which  is  being  done  in  this  respect  on  behalf  of  the  American  navy. 
We  who  have  welcomed  to  the  hospitality  of  this  church  on  several 
occasions  the  tars  and  marines  from  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard,  as  well 
as  those  of  us  who  have  been  privileged  to  visit  the  superbly  equipped 
building  which  Christian  patriotism  has  erected  there  for  the  men  of 
our  navy,  need  not  be  reminded  of  the  results,  far  beyond  the  highest 
expectation,  which  that  institution  has  already  achieved.  But  why 
should  our  generosity  stop  at  the  navy  ? Has  the  sailor  of  our  mer- 
chant marine  no  claims  upon  us  ? It  is  a fact,  I believe,  that  there  is 
not  a decent  Sailor’s  Home  in  New  York  City  to-day.  Surely  the  time 
has  come  when,  with  generous  hands,  the  Christian  people  of  this  city 
will  rally  to  the  aid  of  the  American  Seamen’s  Friend  Society,  and 
make  it  possible  for  that  organization  to  do  a hundred-fold  more 
than  it  does  in  rendering  the  sailor’s  life  on  shore  more  free  from 
moral  peril  than  his  life  at  sea  is  free  from  physical  peril.  America 
owes  much  to  the  sea ; she  owes  more  to  her  seamen.  The  hour  has 
come  for  her  to  begin  to  liquidate  that  obligation  in  generous  help  to 
this  Society  in  whose  interests  we  meet  to-day,  remembering  above  all 
else  our  obligation  to  Him  “ whose  way  is  in  the  sea,  and  whose  path 
is  on  the  great  waters.” 


* 


mmm 


eamen 


76  WALL  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


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SUNDAY  PRAYER  FOR  SEAMEN. 

On  Sunday  morning  special  prayer  is  made  for  sailors  all  over  the  world  on  land 
and  sea.  Pray  that  Christian  sailors  may  witness  a good  confession  and  be  saved 
from  the  temptations  of  the  land.  That  shipowners  may  seek  the  Glory  of  God. 
That  captains  and  officers  may  rule  with  wisdom.  The  wisdom  of  love  and  the  love 
of  wisdom  be  given  to  those  who  labor  in  their  behalf. 

Ask  your  clergyman  to  pray  each  Sunday  for  seamen. 

“ For  those  In  peril  on  the  sea,” 
ft  That  do  business  on  great  waters.” 


